Fallen Angel's Fire
by Blue Lone Wolf 2574
Summary: Roy Mustang didn't expect to be attacked while walking home from his favorite bar. Much less saved by a mysterious blonde who's only a few inches shorter than him? Can Roy cope with the sudden changes to come? Rated T for 2 b safe. Plz vote on title!
1. Chapter 1: Hallucinations of the Unkn

Greetings all

Greetings all! I'm so glad to have you all back at my door for yet another story I hope is very worth your time. This time, I take FMA to a whole new level. And trust me, putting all of this together wasn't easy. Please read and review! No flames! For the finale of my mini rant: I don't own FMA in any shape or form, even if I wish I had a Roy plushie to squeeze to death. And yes, this is going to be a RoyxEd pairing. Enjoy!

"Iii" speech

_Iii_ thoughts

Chapter 1: Hallucinations of the Unknown Kind

When he'd first caught sight of it, he hadn't been sure if it was the fact he was practically dead drunk, or that he was dead tired. It didn't seem to matter that he was out in the dark of night, by himself as he stumbled back to his singles' apartment only a few blocks away from the bar he frequented when he needed to loosen up or just needed something to get his mind away from everything else in his life. After seeing the most unusual thing anyone could ever see, Roy Mustang couldn't help but wonder if he was suffering from the side effects of alcohol, or if he'd just gone completely nuts.

His midnight black eyes were like dark coals, set into a smooth and youthful face of eerie pale coloring. Both of which were finished off by a thin mouth and jet-black hair, short but somewhat spiky, not to mention slightly wrinkly work clothes that would define him as a bit of a businessman. But that doesn't matter right now since a rather drunk and confused Roy Mustang was still trying to comprehend the snapshot style image that'd just passed him by, high above his head (and a number of the houses nearby) was indeed the result of too many beers or not.

Figuring out the cause of the odd visual seemed to be the least of his worries when Roy couldn't help but think that what he had seen had indeed been real. But by now, the actual definition of 'real' was starting to look a little sketchy. Not after one sees something oddly human-like go flying through the air like a fuckin' oversized grasshopper after spending half the night getting drunk and trying to resist the urge to bring one of the many women at the bar home with him. Normally he would have, but tonight? He just hadn't been in the mood for random sex from a woman who'd probably just leave ten minutes later anyway. Lucky for him, even when drunk, Roy always had the decency to wear a condom whenever he had a female guest over for more than just the night.

Normally nights like these were calm and lacking in any kind of real action except for the usual drunken fights that sometimes broke out. All of which he'd been forced to break up when the men fighting learned that he was a cop. Very little fights occurred after the first couple of nights. Nowadays it was the new guys that always caused trouble instead of the regulars. The last time the night air felt odd was back around his second year on the job when he was investigating a case of a serial killer. Little did he know at the time that he was being stalked by said killer until the psycho tried to go all out on him and blow his head clean off.

When drunk, Roy knew himself not to be the kind of guy who saw stuff that wasn't really there. He never did see the pink elephants like some would think drunks would when they had one too many. No seeing ugly women as heart stopping beautiful and no waking up in a tub of ice with some vital organs missing. But sometimes he really wondered when he saw his old friend and partner Maes Hughes now and again out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes, it would be some random guy fitting his description almost to the 't'. But other times, Roy could only wonder if he was going crazy, or too drunk to determine fantasy from reality. The raven-haired detective never really bothered to try and figure this out. The last thing he wanted was to be seen as an alcoholic that drank like the stuff was water, or that he was the crazy cop who'd been in the field just a little too long.

But tonight had a different atmosphere to it. Like something was… wrong about it. Off. Not exactly like it should be. Staring up at the now empty sky where only the street lamps and electrical wires stretched above the street he walked, Roy could only wonder if what he'd seen had indeed been an illusion. Deciding that it was, the raven-haired man merely shrugged to himself, pulled his long coat on a little tighter, and continued his small trek back home. Or at least he would have if not for seeing that, not too far ahead of him, he was no longer alone.

He knew that a car had gone by once or twice, but no other people could be seen anywhere. Now it was different. Only now was there someone else. Any other night, Roy would've thought nothing of it and would've just kept walking. But this suddenly existing person wasn't moving, much less in any kind of hurry to be anywhere except just standing there in the middle of the sidewalk. Instead, the person stood a little in the shadows and seemed to be staring at him rather intently. Not that he could see the person's face that is. He could feel the figure's gaze. Since he was a cop with the local police department, Roy knew he was probably in for a bit of a showdown if the person in front of him was thinking of trying to take advantage of his slight drunkenness.

Taking a slightly defensive stance, Roy could only force his mind to get up out of the beer filled gutter it was in so to prove a much more difficult opponent than the stranger might already believe him to be. As he did so, he let his right hand slip into the folds of his coat so he could grip the handle of his standard issue .9 mm.

"Excuse me, but is there something you need?" he called not too loudly in case he accidentally woke someone up and caused a huge ruckus over nothing.

Upon receiving no response from the stranger, Roy could only assume that the person was either ignoring him, fully aware of his drunken state, or was simply refusing to answer him. Not wanting to take any kind of real chances with the person, Roy slowly moved to the right. Easily circling to where they remained a good twenty feet apart but to where he stood in the mind set security of a street lamp, the raven-haired man eyed the stranger as he spoke again.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

After yet another moment of silence, the person hidden by shadow finally spoke in a soft but oddly devious tone. "…. Yes. Just so happens… there is."

"And what would that be?" Roy inquired, instantly cautious.

"Your soul."

This left Roy stunned and confused, his wary look giving way to shock and utter confusion at the statement. "Wha--?"

Just before he could say more, the stranger chose then to calmly walk into the light, revealing a face gnarled and inhuman. Its eyes were bright red, like fire, red as blood and shaped almost like a snake's or a cat's. Roy didn't know if he should try to wake up from the odd dream, or just outright piss himself. It was when the thing revealed razor sharp but deformed teeth did he take a third option: run like fucking hell.

--_**Different POV**_—

_The night air's pretty crisp tonight. Knowing what it's capable of, I should find it around here somewhere._

Such were the thoughts of a rather odd individual standing calmly atop the roof of a thirty-story skyscraper, eyes of golden beauty overlooking the quiet streets below as the time neared midnight. Golden yellow hair, tied back in a neat braid despite the rather unruly bangs that kept his eyes protected from the bright lights not too far from him, Edward Elric stood straight and firm even when the wind threatened to push him over the side. Clothes black as the sky except for the white lining his coat had, Ed seemed to blend in if his hair wasn't too much of a giveaway. But he didn't really care.

And he didn't care even as he crouched slightly, and jumped.

Normally this would scare any other human to death before their weight smashed in the roof of a car or created a big, bloody mess on the concrete. But not Ed. No, he knew he'd never suffer such a horrible fate. Instead, he let the wind do most of the work as he flew through the air as if propelled by invisible wings. After a few moments of defying gravity and its laws did the blonde come to a soft landing atop the roof of a house not too far from his search zone. It wasn't long before he was jumping from one to another like a frog does on stones leading to the pond.

Just as he was but a few streets into the neighborhood, did the loud retorts of a gun reach his ears. Puzzled by this odd noise at such an hour and an odd place, Ed turned towards the noise, using his oddly powerful vision to try and see the cause of the disturbance. Upon realizing what he was seeing, the blonde knew he only had a small amount of time to reach the scene in time.

--_**With Roy**_—

_And just when I thought I'd lost that damn thing! What the fuck is that anyway?!_ He thought as he made another move to run after managing to fire three shots at the creature hot on his tail. Much to his shock and terror, the thing was barely fazed by its being shot, only howling in rage and pain before moving a whole lot faster. Even when he'd jumped a few fences to avoid the ugly creature, it still remained not too far behind him no matter how far or hard he ran. And it knew he was starting to get tired. He was used to pursuing others during his office hours, but becoming the hunter being the hunted wasn't exactly what he expected to happen. Ever.

Having already run for at least five blocks, Roy saw that he was coming across the busier parts of the city. It was only when he neared the parking lot of a 24-hour convenience store that he noticed something about the scene was off. There were a few cars seated in the cool dark of the night, but there were no people walking amongst the shelves. Even the cashier behind the counter was missing.

"What's the matter? Too scared to run anymore?" it chuckled darkly, looking almost pleased with itself for spooking him like it was.

Trying to keep his fear and panic from showing too much, Roy somehow got a calm look on his face. "W-what the hell are you? And what do you want?"

As if confused by his words, the thing tilted its deformed head in question, even if its expression didn't really change from the same look of arrogant frustration and prideful stature. The flash of anger in its inhuman eyes was enough to make Roy shiver all the way down to his year old leather shoes. "Didn't I say earlier? My, your kind certainly are forgetful."

"Forgetful? What?" _'Your kind'? No way this thing's not human!_ He thought as his heart began to race again in panic and confusion.

It didn't seem to acknowledge his response as it used a claw to gently scratch under its wrinkled chin. As if it were bored now. "Such a pity. You would've made quite a good servant. But now? You must die!"

Like a wild animal, it was running at him again, clawed hands raised for the kill, and fanged mouth wide open. This time, it seemed determined to succeed. Somehow fighting down the urge to run around in circles like an idiot all the while screaming like a fool, the need to survive practically screeched at him to do something about the situation. The only option he had was to keep firing at it.

If only such a thing didn't piss it off even more. Roy could swear its inhuman voice was loud enough to make his head ache like a hangover kicking in too early, and it even made his ears start to ring. He could only hope they wouldn't start bleeding as the humanoid creature came flying at him as he finished off the magazine into the being's head and chest. Just when a clawed hand was about to rip him in half, Roy barely managed to duck and roll out of harm's way. All he could do between changing the gun's magazines was to run back where he'd come and hope the thing would miss when trying to strike at him again.

_Why are there no people out here? Did something happen? Why just me then? Just what the hell is going on? Wha--?_ The thought stopped there when something suddenly came from the sky to land a few feet in front of him, forcing him to come to a skidding halt in the middle of the road. Eyes and hair of gold, tanned skin and clothes of pure black filled his vision as the lean, muscular teen stood calm and steady. Roy could only wonder if he'd finally gone off the deep end.

_First that thing and now some kid?! What else is gonna pop up? The damned Easter Bunny!?_ Kicking the thoughts away, Roy struggled to comprehend the growing complexity of his current situation. Of all the things that could possibly happen to him, he definitely hadn't expected it to be something as truly odd as all of this. He didn't even know if he was even remotely drunk anymore. Just when he was about to open his mouth to speak, the creature's angry screech kept Roy from questioning the newcomer as he turned, aimed, and started firing again.

The shots rang true, getting the deformed man well in the chest and face, but like before had done little but anger him further. And it was pretty quick to make its frustration well known to them.

"I grow tired of this foolishness." It snarled, its jagged and yellowed teeth reveled by its curled lip. "Your attempts are futile. Now hold still so I may slay you like the worthless human you are!"

Forcing down the urge to shiver and whimper, Roy somehow kept a straight face as he stood firm in front of the blonde teen. "Stay back kid. I've no idea what that thing is but, sooner or later, I just might be able to kill it."

"Your weapon is useless!"

Just as Roy was about to fire once more, a blur of color filled his peripheral vision as the blonde teen was suddenly running towards the creature. Roy knew he was yelling something about telling him to get out of the way, to stay back so he could try and deal with the thing the only way he knew how. Nothing deterred the blonde as the light tap of black sneakers on concrete and black top tar, even when the creature snarled some more, making itself even more ugly than before.

When the blonde had gained some ground, he suddenly leaped into the air as if he was a piece of newspaper on a windy day, his right arm alight with a bright blue light and the loud crackle of lightning. As the blonde brought the arm in question back for a strong right hook, Roy Mustang saw the flesh of the teen's hand had changed into metal. Eyes of black widened in shock at the sight, regardless of the fact the blonde was suddenly whipped by an arm of inhuman strength to the side and into a parked car. Leaving Roy wide open and defenseless against the creature's oncoming attack.

Somehow getting over the sudden shock of some more unusual things, Roy was quick to start shooting again, almost to the point to where the thing was practically at point blank range. As one of its arms swung at him, Roy ducked and rolled, despite the protests his tired limbs and sore head were giving him. Looking around as quickly as the situation would allow, he saw the blonde getting up, not even stumbling from his involuntary hit and run by a parked car. But looking back he saw the thing was after him again, making him duck and dodge as fast as his tired body would allow.

Within seconds the blonde was on the move again, this time jumping at it from behind, using both metal and flesh hands to hold onto its head as he practically sat on the thing's oddly broad shoulders. As the thing flailed and roared, golden eyes filled with annoyance met midnight black and seemed to hold Roy to where he stood in the middle of the street. "Don't just stand there! Run already!"

Roy blinked. And then blinked again. _Did he just tell me to do something? Why doesn't he run from it? Hell, why the fuck is he attacking it!? And what's up with that arm of his? Am I really seeing things? Or is this all real?_ He wasn't given any more time to think it all over when the creature's arms once again came a swingin' in the hopes of loping his head clean off. This time he knew better than to just try and shoot the thing to death. It was time to beat it to death.

Ignoring the slight buzz that filled his ears and his brain, Roy didn't just duck, but flipped out of the way. Landing a few feet away with his back to a concrete wall, Roy quickly and calmly holstered his gun and took on a defensive stance, his hands level with his shoulders. The blonde seemed to have the same idea as the metal hand came crashing down on the top of the creature's skull. A few times he missed due to the thing's constant movement as it tried to shake him off of its shoulders. It even tried to swipe him off but couldn't when he ducked and leaned away from the thing's clawed hands. Really frustrated now, the creature decided to try and take its aggravation out on Roy.

Memories of all the years he's spent honing his skills at the local gyms he always went to when he had the time, Roy let the segments of the many different styles and moves quickly come to mind. Within seconds, he was ready. He made his intentions known first by giving the thing a well-placed back punch right in the jaw, causing the blonde atop its shoulders to jump off and land some distance away. After dealing with the damned thing for nearly an hour, Roy knew better than to let it regain its bearings by swiftly running forward and giving it a piece of his mind.

Punches, kicks, double attacks, it didn't matter. Just as long as he beat the thing and was able to walk home into the peaceful quiet of the night as he'd intended to do in the first place. But no! this thing and then a mysterious blonde teen just so happened to turn everything upside down. As he was about to give the thing a good, swift kick, it struck first, and sent him flying through the air. At first, he didn't know what to think of it. Only that it really, really hurt when he finally hit the pavement.

--_**With Ed**_—

He'd told the guy to run for it. And all he'd done was stand, totally rooted to the spot and stare at him? Ed could tell the guy was confused, and obviously a little drunk from the way he smelled of beer. Though the fact he had a gun was the most confusing factor of the whole thing. Ed knew the demon he was dealing with, by sitting on its shoulders and trying to turn its brains into nothing more than useless mush, like to go after people who walked home alone at night. Usually hookers and drunks who were complete losers, even a few businesspeople dumb enough to not use their fancy cars or other transport services to get home. But for some reason, this guy was completely different from all the other people he either saved or couldn't save in time. No, this guy was unique somehow.

The first thing that came to mind was the man's appearance: jet black hair, midnight eyes and a pale face. Youthful but mature, the mere shape and structure giving it a sense of authority and elegance. Despite the obviously drunk expression, and smell, Ed could tell this man wasn't expecting to be attacked. Much less by something that shouldn't even exist. The second was his clothing. Not that of a businessman, buy yet of someone who had to dress up a little everyday to show a sense of neatness. A sign of being a professional in his field without looking like an arrogant asshole amidst his coworkers.

It finally came down to the very last thing: the gun. From what he could tell it was a common model. But usually used only by cops. _Wait… what's this guy doing with a cop gun in his hand? Is he--?_

It was then the creature finally decided to stop swinging at him, and at the raven-haired man standing confused in front of them. But instead of running away like he'd commanded him to do, the man did something odd. He not only ducked out of the way of a vicious left hook, but he flipped away as if to put distance between him and the very miffed demon. Another odd thing was how his confusion was quickly shooed off of his face, replaced by an eerie calm as he put the gun away, and took a defensive stance.

That's when it decided to start moving again, prompting him to start bludgeoning it some more, not really bothered by the slight sting his nerves were receiving from his flesh hand. All that mattered right now was to kill the demon, and avoid leaving another corpse in his wake. Even Ed knew there was only so much he could do for some of the people who survived the attacks. One had already applied for counseling while another seemed to be living in complete denial that it happened at all. He tried to ignore the regret when one, a pretty brunette woman, had accidentally wandered into the road, and was instantly hit by a car.

His friends seemed reluctant to tell him if she'd survived or not.

As he brought his right fist down for another hit, the creature was suddenly pushed violently backwards. This was cause enough for Ed to quickly vacate his seat on the thing's shoulders to properly view the cause of the thing's sudden stumble. He couldn't help but stare to find the raven was responsible. Readying himself for another attack, the man somehow held his ground as the thing got to its feet, its deformed face mutating even more in its rage. It didn't seem to care who it attacked anymore, it just wanted to kill something and walk away victorious. The man didn't give it the chance to do much else when he suddenly spun and got it clean in the chest.

Just as it stumbled backwards, the man didn't even wait for it to recover as he came flying forward and gave it a few pretty strong right and left hooks. As he prepared to lay down another kick, the thing swung and sent him flying across the street.

_Okay. Time to intervene._ He thought as he ran at the thing and gave it a piece of his mind via a few well-placed uppercuts, punches and powerful kicks. Looking away as the thing stumbled and roared its growing anger, Ed saw the man trying to pick himself up off the ground. By the way he was holding himself, the blonde could tell that the man surely had a few cracked ribs by now. Turning his attention back to the creature, Ed knew he had to end this. Fast. Not really needing to think about it, Ed let the metal of his right hand swiftly form into a small but effective blade of pure steel placed conveniently above his hand and on top of his lower arm.

--_**With Roy**_—

It'd been awhile since he'd been forced to use his martial arts skills. He'd practice almost everyday to keep himself from becoming like almost every other cop at the precinct: fat and lazy. Almost too lazy to do much about anything other than just sit around and shuffle through countless files all day. Luckily not every cop was like that. Only a few rare but true ones who were used to doing menial tasks like directing traffic and working the desks all day. After chasing bad guys around for nearly six years as a detective, Roy knew he had to keep in shape, or else.

Staying focused despite being possibly dead drunk in the middle of the night, luckily right before Saturday morning came to say 'you can relax for two measly days so be happy about it' wasn't really all that hard. Thankfully he wasn't as drunk as he'd believed himself to be earlier. But he still felt the need to throw up what he had last, which wasn't really that much since he'd gone straight to the bar after work.

Though it didn't seem to be much, Roy was pretty glad he was able to put his two cents into the fight with the disgustingly ugly creature. Until it tossed him aside like fuckin' rag doll that is. Vision now officially blurred, Roy held down a groan of pain as he rolled himself onto his back, trying to focus on the lamplight only a few feet away from him. Once his sight had cleared a little, Roy felt it safe to try and turn over in the effort to get to his feet. Only to regret it immediately afterward when a stinging pain decided to come from his ribcage. As he tried to get to his feet, holding himself with one arm and using the other to hold him above the ground, Roy turned his head to notice something new.

Despite his constantly in and out of focus vision, he could see that something about the blonde's oddly metal hand had changed. Now the hand wasn't just made of metal, there was a rather small blade of some sort to go with it. This time, the blonde didn't wait for the thing to reassess its situation, much less notice the new piece of weaponry. This time, the blonde simply rushed the thing, and got it clean in the stomach in a single strike.

It bent over, its mutant face stretching out to express its shock and pain, holding out a clawed hand as if to try and choke the blonde. Apparently its grip wasn't very strong since the blonde didn't seem at all bothered by the hold it had on his neck as it began to cough up blood. Roy didn't even try to ponder why the thing's blood just so happened to be a dark purplish color. For some reason, his mind somehow felt the need to feel pity for the thing and its rather undignified death. But another part of his mind screamed over how it'd tried to kill him and the blonde was to thank for his surviving the arduous ordeal. Once again collapsing onto the black tar, Roy fell into a much-needed sleep just as eyes of gold came into his view and a voice sounded off before fading into the darkness with him.

Yay! One chapter down, quite a few to go. To think this thing is only eight pages long! I'd make it longer but that's be kinda pushing it. And let me tell ya, this one is gonna be fun to write even though I've got enough on my plate as it is. But hey! Don't they say that if you've got an idea, go ahead and roll with it? I think there is, and I know I'll be a rollin' with this one as my latest work, '_Fallen Angel's Fire_' makes its debut onto the supernatural scene. I had a few other ideas for the title but I guess you guys can help me duke it out with myself. And trust me! Your vote really does count!! The choices happen to be:

Hellfire & Angel Wings

Fires of Hell & Heaven's Fist

Flames Unleashed

Well that's all I've got to say for now. I really do hope you guys like what you see here and that you'll be coming back for a whole lot more. In the meantime, let's check out what's to come!

Next chapter:

Chapter 2: Hangovers & Strangers

Roy somehow wakes up in his apartment… with the same blonde stranger roaming around as if he owns the place! Not only did the blonde save him from death and possibly eternal slavery, he claims that Roy just might have a special ability he never knew he had! Just what is Ed trying to accomplish? Is Roy really part of an ancient plot that's just now starting to unfold? Or is there something else behind Ed's side of the story? Find out in the next chapter of '_Fallen Angel's Fire_' with:

_**Chapter 2: Hangovers & Strangers!!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Hangovers & Strangers

Welcome back to 'Fallen Angel's Fire'

Welcome back to '_Fallen Angel's Fire_'! Enjoy the last chapter? I really hope you did but enough of my ranting. The poll's still wide open even as our story goes on with the latest installment. Instead of wasting any more time, I'll just get right to it: I don't own FMA in any shape or form, even though I'm dying for a Roy plushie. Enjoy!!

"Iii" speech

_Iii_ thought

Chapter 2: Hangovers & Strangers

He expected to still be lying on hard concrete and black tar, the light of a street lamp filling his vision as he woke up. What he didn't expect was to be lying in his own bed, looking up at his own apartment ceiling as if he'd come home without encountering anything or anyone unusual. The first thing Roy Mustang did was freeze. Eyes of onyx cautiously looked left, and then right. He recognized his own bedroom when he saw it, especially since one of the drawers on his bureau still had an old tie hanging off of one of the handles. An old tie he'd been meaning to toss out. From the obviously bright light coming from the window through both the blinds and the curtains, Roy knew it to be Saturday morning.

Reassured no one was in the room with him, Roy decided to try and sit up only to instantly regret it. His ribs felt like they'd been pummeled with a hammer. _Wait… my ribs?!_ Ignoring the stabbing pain, Roy sat up to find that both of his knuckles were wrapped, his left forearm was bandaged, and that his shirt was gone. Officially confused by the changes he never made himself, getting up and looking around became the first priority. This task in itself didn't prove as easy as he'd hoped.

After a few minutes of struggling with the pain in his ribs and the pain in his head, Roy finally made it to his bedroom door, finding that his shirt, jacket and gun holster had been placed on the chair that went to his small desk. Not really sure what to expect to be waiting beyond the wooden barrier that was his bedroom door, he didn't hesitate to grab his weapon before quietly easing the door open. The quiet of the place was a bit eerie, the only normal sounds coming from the window as cars and birds made their presences known to his bleary mind. Not to mention his ringing ears.

By now the slight buzz from his weekly session of 'single drunk man' was acting like a bee trapped in his head, a tiny thing he ignored as he peeked into the shadowy hallway in search of any possibly unwanted guests. Finding no one, Roy slowly pushed the door open, allowing the light from his bedroom window fill the dark space. Once into the hall and against the wall, he just as slowly closed it, keeping his gun aimed at the floor and away from his feet in case of a misfire. The last thing he wanted to do was commit murder of the second degree. Much less lose a toe or two.

The silence stretched, leaving Roy to cling to the wall, stepping as quietly as his wood floor and day old socks would allow. Apparently his mystery helper was nice enough to take his shoes off for him before somehow getting home after a strange night of monster fighting. It was a clinking noise, metal on plastic, which broke the unusual silence of the apartment, putting Roy on edge. Using both hands to grip the gun now, he used one of his fingers to switch off the safety as he used as much speed and stealth to reach the end of the hallway. Between the sounds of plastic scrapping against metal came the sound and scent of bacon and eggs. A tempting set of sensations he chose to ignore in favor of seeing just exactly who was moving around his home without his consent. Easing into the living room, he picked up speed to plant himself against the wall again just outside the kitchen door.

Almost immediately he heard footsteps, fairly heavy shoes calmly walking on wood now and again. Completely oblivious to the impending threat that Roy he knew he possessed, hoping to get a glimpse of the would-be intruder. Dark clothes, slim but fairly muscular build and golden blonde hair met his weary eyes, making him blink. As the blonde turned around in search of something, Roy barely managed to get back behind the safety of the wall.

_I don't get it! Why would that kid bring me home after something like that? Hell, how did he know where I lived?! Is he just like that thing from last night? No. That thing wasn't even close to human but that kid…. There's something about that arm of his. I have to know. I __**need**__ to know what the hell's going on!_ Steeling himself against any more unwanted emotions and thoughts, Roy waited a moment or two to calm himself, and then stepped into the kitchen with his gun pointed and ready to fire.

--_**With Ed**_—

_God dammit all! My shoulder's killing me! Just how hard did that stupid demon hit me anyway?_ Ed thought as he walked around the cop's kitchen, making himself breakfast after sleeping on the guy's couch all night. The stiffness in his shoulders was mostly from sleeping in the wrong position, as well as getting the shit beat out of him by a level 3 demon.

Poking the bacon strips a little with a spatula he'd managed to locate in the kitchen's many drawers, Ed cursed under his breath at the twinge of pain now coming from his lower back. Up until now it'd just been his shoulders and arms. The fact that it was now coming from his back was really saying something about the fight. Holding back violent curses to avoid waking the cop too early, Ed could only endure the pain in favor of eating the first good meal in hours. _Maybe I should find some ice when I'm done eating._

Leaving the search for ice for later, he could only ponder in as to why a demon would go after such a random target. _Why go after someone who has no previous contact with the supernatural when there are plenty of other people to choose from? He could've easily started a fight with one of the clans downtown. So why here? Was he some new guy that decided to go hunting?_ Deciding it was best to leave such thoughts for later, Ed could only let the previous night's events come flooding back.

--_**The Night Before**_—

Letting the stranger fight the demon by himself was one thing, but watching him get tossed aside then left fend for himself was something completely different. It was apparent that it wasn't very smart, just strong enough to cause some serious damage to get what it wanted. And it was very obvious that he was like none of the other demons Ed had encountered before. It was strong, fast, and not to mention extremely ugly. Which meant it wasn't too concerned about being caught. Or getting killed.

As proven when Ed had finally gotten past its burly arms to get it in the stomach before pulling back and striking in-between its ribs. He had to lean back a little to avoid being spit on when it started choking on its own blood. But he could feel the hot liquid drip onto his hand, quickly going cold, one of its hands meant to crush his neck falling limp to dangle before he finally let the thing's corpse fall to the ground. Upon meeting the manmade earth did the creature begin to shrink and curl into itself, breaking apart enough to become nothing more than sand.

_I can easily let that blow away. But I'll need to dump the clothes somewhere after I clean up. Speaking of clean up…._ Turning around, he saw the drunken man lying on the ground, unmoving but still very much alive. _He hasn't thrown up yet so it's safe to say he's not a __**complete**__ alcoholic. Just who the hell is this guy anyhow?_

Knowing no one would be coming out of nowhere, Ed didn't hesitate in walking up to the unconscious man and began searching his pockets. After a few minutes of searching he found the man's wallet, and his shield. Staring down at the silver badge that was one with the man's wallet, Ed scowled mainly at himself for not realizing just in as to why the man had been so defensive. _Damn. He really is a cop! What the fuck should I do now? I know for a fact that I can't just leave him here! No choice then…._

Even if no one was around, Ed looking anyway in case of a random car or late night pedestrian as he used what was left of his strength to lift the man off of the cold, hard ground. He almost regretted it when he smelled the beer on the other man's breath waft right into his face. Ignoring the unsavory scent that was now assaulting his keen sense of smell, Ed concentrated on figuring out where the address in the wallet just so happened to be and started walking.

--_**The Present**_—

He shut the stovetop off and removed the pan from the burner to cool, the greasy liquid left behind already beginning to quiet down. Ed didn't have to look at a clock to know it was close to 9 o'clock in the morning. Even after being there for several hours, Ed couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about how… empty the apartment appeared when he managed to get them there the night before. The sound of a car speeding by came and went, leaving him in the silence. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking of the man down the hall, oblivious to everything. _His name… his name is Detective Roy Mustang of the NYC 82__nd__ precinct. Was he coming home from the bar alone? It's pretty obvious from the looks of this place that he lives alone. There didn't seem to be any other people there, not to mention he didn't try to tell me about anyone who could've been with him last night. Probably the result of a dimension-warping spell or something. I wonder if he'll be okay after all this. I can only hope now that he's still asleep. Who knows what he'll do if he finds out I'm still here._

Not a moment too soon did Ed think along these lines did he hear the oddly loud click of a gun's hammer being pulled back, a deep, almost silky voice sounding off from behind him. The very essence of this truly adult voice coming from behind him, though tired but unusually commanding and undeniable authority, made Ed's spine shiver for a reason he couldn't explain. The man he knew to be called Roy Mustang didn't waste any time. "Turn around. Slowly."

Having dealt with people and their guns, Ed knew better than to try anything that could alert the rest of the building and get him seriously wounded. Which wasn't really possible for him, but some have been known to try just a little too hard. So, upon the command of his would-be host, Ed slowly and carefully turned with his hands raised, right into the imposing barrel of a 9-mm. police issue firearm.

--_**With Roy**_—

He'd been sure to get the blonde with his back turned, facing the stove and oblivious to his approach. The teen looked about 18, if not a little older, and was just a good four or so inches shorter than he was. But even if he wasn't even facing the older man, Roy could tell by his stance that the blonde was accustomed to having the upper hand now and again. Only now did Roy know that he didn't. Knowing better than to let the teen discover him before he could act, Roy pulled back the gun's hammer, and spoke as calmly as his weary mind would allow. "Turn around. Slowly."

Two perfectly human hands, both composed of flesh and blood, were raised slowly into the air as the blonde turned at the same speed. His face was just as he remembered from the night before: sharp, vibrant eyes of pure gold, practically close to matching his hair. The teen's skin seemed to have a bit of a tanned look to it, if not fairly pale in comparison to his own ghostly pale coloring. His features were just as puzzling, mature and defined look to them since they appeared almost as sharp as his eyes. For nearly a minute, Roy couldn't help but wonder if the person in front of him was even human or not.

Keeping his grip firm and his aim steady, Roy had to focus on the teen's oddly colored eyes to keep from letting his thoughts wander too much from his primary objective: to get the information the ol' fashioned way. "Who are you? And how did we get here?"

If the blonde was nervous about the gun being pointed at him, he didn't show it as he spoke in an equally calm voice. The sound of it was just as Roy remembered it to be: mature but a little on the rough side. "Just stay calm okay? If I wanted to hurt you, I probably would've done it by now."

"Don't avoid the question: who are you? What was that… thing that attacked me last night?" Roy tried not to stammer, to keep from shifting in place. But the thought of more of the creatures popping out of nowhere wasn't helping his nerves that much.

"I'm not a doctor but I have a friend coming over to see about your injuries. Now just put the gun do--." The blonde began to say before Roy finally let last night's suppressed panic come rushing back in the form of confused anger.

"Stop avoiding the question!"

The teen seemed to wince at the sound of his raised voice, the angry snap the hid the heartfelt confusion under the surface. "Okay. If you really want to know, will you put it down?"

"Why should I trust you? I saw what you did." Roy let his eyes take a glance at the blonde's right arm, where it was plainly not composed of metal like it had been the night before. Almost as if there was nothing all that different about it from any other arm in the world. "Your arm. It changes somehow. I saw it change. How do I know you won't try to kill me like you did that thing?"

"I already told you--." The blonde growled, rolling his eyes.

He didn't get to say more when Roy stepped closer, the gun's barrel fairly close to be considered almost point blank range as he snapped angrily again. "DON'T! Avoid. The question."

"We'll talk, but only after you put the gun down. Okay?" the teen said calmly, his tone oddly soothing but didn't lose its unusual calmness. Roy couldn't help but wonder why the blonde teen would remain so perfectly still while on the edge of being shot. "I know you're confused and disoriented. I've been there. But pointing that thing at me isn't going to get you answers any faster than it will food."

Naturally this left Roy a little confused despite the reassurance that there was nothing wrong about the situation. "Y-you're not like… that thing?"

This time, the blonde teen gave him a little smirk of amusement at that almost childlike question as he shook his head. "No. No I'm not. I'm human. Like you are. And from what I remember, bullets really hurt. Do you want to put that down and get some food now?"

The pain in his head was almost unbearable, but Roy wasn't willing to give in to the silent agony. No matter how much the room spun like a top. But accidentally killing the blonde wouldn't get him any answers. Finally, he let himself relax a bit, nodding as he pointed the gun's barrel at the floor. "Y-yeah. I guess so."

"Okay then. Can you sit down?" he heard the blonde ask as his vision began to go blurry again.

Roy just nodded, barely able to suppress a groan of pain. "I probably should. I don't feel so good."

"What do you mean? As in 'I'm gonna throw up' or 'painful all over'?" the blonde asked, sounding a bit on the worried side.

"The second one sounds more like it."

He thought he heard the blonde chuckle. _What a beautiful sound…._ Roy thought absently as the blonde kept talking. "Yeah I figured as much. But as I told you! I've got a friend on the way who can check us out."

This left Roy a little confused, trying his best to focus on the blonde's face, and not really getting anywhere. "Us?"

"You're not the only one who feels it." Again came the soft chuckle, the feel of warm and gentle hands turning him around and towards the door. "I can barely move my shoulders, that thing tried to get me pretty bad."

"Then why are you up and about, making food?" he had to ask, his tone almost incredulous.

The blonde just scoffed. "Because I'm hungry! Not to mention I crashed on your couch so that didn't really help all that much."

"It's a futon." Roy corrected after a moment.

Naturally, this left the blonde confused. "What?"

"It's not a couch. It's a futon."

The teen was quiet for a moment, as if thinking it over. "That explains the weird angle then. C'mon then."

Roy was no longer aware of much except the pain in his head, the blonde somehow easing the gun out of his hand as he was guided out of the kitchen and into the living room. It wasn't long before he felt the soft material of said futon when he was eased into a sitting position, not hesitating to lean backwards. After that he just seemed to zone in and out, not sure if the blonde was even in the room or not. It wasn't until the slightly too loud sound of footsteps brought him back to reality as the blonde spoke from somewhere to his far right before coming closer again to head to his left.

"Hope you like your eggs scrambled. I'm actually surprised I found bacon in your freezer though. You're the first person I've had to drag home who actually had bacon in stock." The blonde said in what sounded like approval, but he couldn't tell for sure.

But then something about the blonde's statement clicked home, somehow having the sense to turn his unfocused eyes in the teen's general direction. "Drag home? You mean you dragged me here? How the hell did you even know where I lived?"

"Oh yeah! I kinda had to snitch your wallet. But don't worry. I've got my own income so I'd have no real reason to steal anythin' anyhow." Came the practically casual response as the left side of the futon inclined to say the blonde had sat down beside him.

Roy stayed quiet for a few minutes or so, his mind still attempting to process all the now confused and jumbled thoughts before a question jumped out at him. "When is your… friend… going to get here?"

"Hm…. Let's see… I called him about eight hours ago after I took care of you upon getting here so…. If the traffic's as good as it is now, he'll be here in the next half hour since he said he needed some sleep of his own."

He heard some more footsteps, this time getting closer before they stopped and something extremely cold was placed on his head.

"What the--?" onyx eyes darted, vision blurring probably even more than before as he tried to fend off the strange item that had tried to make itself at home on top of his throbbing head.

Almost immediately, the freezing cold whatever-it-was vanished, leaving Roy very confused and the blonde in a state of surprise. "Whoa! Calm down! It's just an ice pack I put together okay? You probably need it for your hangover."

This was enough to convince the raven-haired man to stop moving and sit back once again, instantly regretting moving at all. "R-right."

"You should probably think of showering too. You reek of beer." The blonde grumbled, once again placing the plastic bag, it seemed, full of ice cubes onto Roy's aching head.

"Sorry." He managed to say through the calming bliss of cold taking away pain and unwanted heat. Before his mind drifted too far, Roy managed to refocus on his previous task. "Hey."

The blonde's response was almost immediate. "Hm?"

"You never did tell me your name." He managed to say in his pain filled daze, onyx eyes trying to focus once again on the face he now knew to be a friendly one.

"Oh yeah. I'm Ed." The blonde said between bites, sounding almost bored in the silence that filled the room. "And according to your wallet, you're Roy."

"Glad to know we're getting somewhere."

Silence followed once more, the sound of metal poking at ceramic plate was the only real noise that filled the room other than their breathing. Finally Ed simply had to ask the one thing he just had to think of. "How many beers did you have last night?"

"What? Why?" Roy had to ask, purely confused at the inquiry.

Ed merely seemed to scoff at the older man. "For all I know, you could've down a whole keg. But since you haven't thrown up yet, that in itself is enough to get me wondering."

"Four… five maybe." The raven-haired man grumbled, finally closing his eyes in the hopes of shielding them from the bright morning light that was coming in through the windows he knew to be to his far left. "I'll need to drop by and get my keys."

"Your keys? As in a car?" the blonde sounded a bit surprised.

Roy nodded but then figured that the teen wasn't really looking at him. "Yeah. Wait… you took my keys too?"

Ed seemed to shrug at this, even though Roy couldn't see him that well. "Well, I figured you'd be pissed over a broken window."

The older of the two didn't take long to think this statement over. "I probably would."

A brief silence fell over them, almost giving Roy a good reason to fall asleep until Ed suddenly spoke up again. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

Roy merely scoffed at the question, barely able to maintain consciousness from the throbbing pain in his head. Among other places. "Other than everywhere?"

"Okay… um… where does it hurt more than anywhere else?"

He dared not move, knowing that if he did, something would sting like fuckin' hell that he didn't know could even feel painful. "Kinda hurts to breathe. And my head… makin' it hard to stay awake."

The amused chuckle came again, the blonde's voice sounding not the least surprised by his words. "I figured. Do you think you can eat?"

"No idea."

"Well it won't hurt to try. I'll be back in a sec."

Roy felt the left side of the couch slowly rise as weight was removed from it, leaving him to try and remain conscious enough to actually think over what was normal about everything and what wasn't. He didn't really notice how he started to slide down into a sleeping position, oblivious to the ice pack simply rolling off his head as his still slightly drunk and bleary mind gave in to the abyss of unconsciousness.

--_**With Ed**_—

After being out of the room for more than two minutes, Ed didn't expect to come back to find an unconscious Roy having somehow slumped on the futon. What he had expected was for the older man to react a bit violently to being 'attacked' by a makeshift icepack when it was obvious he couldn't even see straight. But something about the earlier encounter with the older man left Ed feeling oddly disoriented. He hadn't expected the man's eyes to be so sharp, his voice to be so harsh. The raven-haired man didn't seem to hesitate. Even when he looked like hell, smelled like beer, he still had an air of authority, a commanding aura with an almost graceful element to it.

Holding back a sigh, Ed merely turned back into the kitchen, set the plate of food on the counter before going back into the living room again. Seeing that there was no point in trying to get the older man to wake up, Ed merely lifted the man's legs up onto the remaining space on the futon. He didn't even have to look very far for a blanket since he'd already snagged one from a linen closet down the hall during the night before. Quickly covering the older man with the blanket, Ed snatched up his own plate from the coffee table and silently walked back to the kitchen to finish it. This only took a few moments, the remains only being a few bites of egg and one last strip of bacon.

Practically as if on cue, the doorbell sounded off from the very front of the apartment, leaving the blonde with no choice but to finish the bacon strip on his way to answering the door.

He didn't even need to look through the peephole in the door to know who it was on the other side. For some reason, Ed never did wonder why he could see the auras of other people. Even through solid objects, the blonde could tell who was beyond his line of sight, almost like x-ray vision. Though he found it became faulty when the person was actually something else, most likely the side effect of the being in question trying to hide their mental essence from those who could see or feel it. Mostly, Ed knew he could see it from even the longest of distances. But he could only feel it when he concentrated hard enough. Something he was very determined to work on.

Fighting the need to blink against the bright artificial light the inner hallway was providing, Ed just smirked warmly at the man before him. "Mornin' Jean. Get here well enough?"

"Yeah, thanks to you Boss." The man said in a lazy tone of voice, his light grey eyes and demeanor equally lacking concern, as he calmly stepping inside when the younger blonde made way for him. From the way his spiky blonde hair looked, as well as the slightly wrinkled look his clothes had, Ed could tell he'd only been up for close to two hours. Ed was used to seeing the other man in casual attire, his messenger bag and cigarette his finishing features. Though the younger male never could understand why the top of his head was spiky and blonde, when everywhere else was short, straight and dark brown. Ignoring any and all odd looks, Jean merely shuffled his way down the small hallway as he spoke. "How's our patient?"

Looking at him now, Ed could swear he had completely changed from the useless bum of four years ago. Though he refused to remain clean-shaven for more than 24 hours at a time, Jean Havoc was the kind of guy you expected to see sleeping on the bar floor after a long night of strong drinks and constant moping. Or at least until Ed and the rest of their group found him trying to fend off what he, at the time, believed to be some idiot who just wanted to start something. Due to his extremely drunken stupor, Havoc had little to no idea that who he was really fighting was actually a bird demon in disguise.

The demon apparently thought that if it killed Havoc and absorbed whatever untapped power he had, it would become stronger and smarter. At least that's what its plan was to start. Up until the point where they managed to take the fight into the street, and Havoc somehow got the concrete to suck the thing chest deep into the ground. One could definitely say that the demon was far from happy. It screeched and cursed until Ed and friends showed up, took its head off and dragged Havoc away in order to dunk his head enough to help them get the rest of the creature out of the street.

Pushing away the memory, Ed just shrugged, the smirk still on his lips. "Well he tried to shoot me right after waking up. Apparently he's still trying to get over being attacked by something inhuman last night."

Havoc winced, giving Ed a quick once-over. "Youch. He didn't pull the trigger did he?"

"No. I managed to talk him out of it." The younger blonde said coolly, walking past the older man to lead him into the main area. "You hungry?"

The older man just grunted before actually speaking English. "Nah. Since I knew you wouldn't expect for almost half an hour or so, I stopped at a local diner on the way here. Pretty good sausage."

"Do you have to smoke that thing around me?" Ed inquired, scowling at the thin white cigarette sticking out of the older man's mouth, a small trickle of grey smoke rising towards the ceiling. The very end was a chaotic mix of black and orange as Havoc took the hint, taking one last drag before taking it out and using the bottom of his shoe. He almost looked like a kid who'd done something wrong when he handed the crushed remains to the younger blonde.

"Sorry Boss. I trust I can smoke when I leave right?"

Accepting the smushed cigarette, Ed merely nodded. "Yeah. You should take a look at him first. I think his ribs might've taken a pretty serious beating. I just hope he doesn't have internal bleeding."

Just when they'd gone in about ten feet, Havoc stopped, first looking confused before it gave way to surprise. Like Ed, Jean could sense the energies of others, but only if they were being extremely emotional. Now seemed to be one of those times as he continued to feel a strongly tingling sensation. "Whoa. You feel that?"

Ed merely nodded. "I've been feeling it ever since I first saw the guy. But I don't know why it's comin' from a guy like him. He's too normal."

"Yeah but… to feel it from here? This guy's packin'! Why didn't we notice him before?" Havoc practically exclaimed, his voice seeming to ask how the blonde could possibly stand such a strong energy.

"I don't know. Maybe the attack was the trigger." Ed said just as calmly, deciding to just keep walking, with Havoc in tow.

"Maybe. It's pretty strong. Almost too strong."

The younger blonde merely shrugged as they paused once again, this time a good ten to fifteen feet away from the futon where Roy lay sleeping. He leaned into the kitchen to dispose of the cigarette butt before coming to lean against the wall before he started to speak once again. "My only theory is stress and fatigue. Not to mention a whole lot of big-time confusion. That's all I can really come up with right now."

Havoc blinked in his honest surprise. "You mean it's been like this the whole time?"

"Not really. From what I've been able to tell, this is only the result of it going down at least 3 percent."

At first the older man looked surprised, then concerned. "Just three? Why not twenty? Or 50? Hell even a 65 percent drop would've been a pretty normal thing, but just 3 percent? You're sure?"

Ed nodded, his golden eyes glancing at the sleeping figure not too far away from them. "He was on high alert when I caught up with him. My guess is that he's still trying to figure out what's happened to him. I don't think he even notices it."

Havoc scratched his chin, his own light grey eyes taking a peak at the raven-haired cop oblivious to their conversation. "Hm. Well… it's obvious he can't heal himself just yet. Not that he really knows how anyway."

That said he turned his attention back towards Ed, giving the blonde a quick once-over before slipping the strap of his messenger bag over his head and onto the coffee table. "You seem pretty okay but I'll leave you some pain pills. All you need to do is check up with me if you feel differently. Otherwise… you look like shit."

The younger male shrugged off the comment as he nodded towards Roy lying on the futon/couch. "Don't I know it. But what about him?"

"If I start now, he could be up and walking by early evening at best." The older man muttered lazily, stepping away from Ed to kneel next to the unconscious man.

Ed didn't waste any time in asking for answers. "And at worst?"

Havoc shrugged, scratching the back of his head as he stood up straight again to look the blonde in the eye. "Probably late afternoon tomorrow. But this shouldn't be a problem. His injuries just seem to be nothing more than a few cracked bones and plenty of extreme bruising."

Ed was quiet for a while, seeming to accept the answer he'd been given by his long time comrade. "Anything you can do about it?"

"I can mix up a good liquor for him to drink which should reverse the more serious damage. We can just let his immune system do the rest." Havoc said as he sat down in one of the available chairs, pulling his bag towards him to move the protective flap to better access the contents.

"Sounds about right to me. Do you have everything you need to get started?" Ed asked before turning around so to head for the apartment's main hallway.

"Yeah." after a few seconds, Havoc spoke again. "Ed?"

Said blonde stopped in his tracks, not turning around. "What?"

"Why does he smell like a bar?"

This was enough to make the blonde turn and face the older man, obviously trying to think of a good way of explaining it. "I think last night was his night off."

Havoc's bored expression didn't change, though a smirk decided to make itself at home on his lips for a little while. "Huh. So much for that."

Ed just shrugged as he continued on his way. "Maybe when he wakes up, he'll take a shower."

"Gods I hope so." He heard the older man mutter softly before calling to him from the distance that now separated them.

"Oh grow up Havoc."

Ed didn't even look back to see if the older man gave him the bird or not. Not that he really cared. As he left he bent to get his bag from the chair near the door, almost regretting it altogether. His back was screaming at him to lie down somewhere but he knew full well that wouldn't matter if he didn't take a shower first. Havoc didn't even need to tell him that he was dangerously close to looking like hell. Not that wasn't already apparent in his overly exhausted mind. He already felt like it, so appearances didn't really matter to him that all much these days.

Before going to sleep the night before, Ed had already taken the time to scout out the apartment, quickly learning where everything was and why. Using his internal map to help him around, it didn't take long for Ed to find the bathroom before shutting and locking the door behind him. He knew he didn't need to lock the door since the only other two people in the place were both men, but old habits died hard for Ed. Especially when it came to where he used to live before being discovered. At first, he'd just thought he was just a regular kid that simply had a few psychic abilities at his disposal.

_Man, how I was proven wrong._ The blonde thought absently as he turned one of the faucets in the shower stall after dropping his bag near the shut door, testing the water's temperature with his hand before finally pulling his shirt off. When all his clothes were finally off and lying on the floor for later, Ed simply stepped into the shooting stream of hot water and left his thoughts to drift elsewhere. This was the first time in weeks that he could truly relax like a real person, be able to not think about what he had to do for his next catch. How to find his next target and search for more like him and Havoc. Especially how he could stop the flow of demons and other creatures without sending the rest of the world out of balance in the process.

_But something like that might take months… maybe even years. Can I even accomplish such a thing? No… it can't be done. But at least I'll do my best to lower the numbers to where there's more of us, and less of them._ Ed thought as he mechanically washed himself down before the water could turn cold on him. Quickly rinsing himself off, shutting the water off and snatching a towel from the metal rack attached to the wall directly to his left.

Wrapping the towel around him to hide his apparent nudity, Ed traveled the few paces it took to stand before the sink under the mirror, staring into the reflective fixture with eyes of golden yellow. Thinking it over now that Havoc's words rang true over his rugged appearance: he could almost barely see the dark bags under his eyes really starting to form, his skin dangerously close to losing all its color as his hair looked on edge of being mistaken for a cheap wig. It was apparent that a quick shower wasn't enough to shed him of his traveling dirt. Thinking about it now, it was obvious to him that a few short hours of sleep weren't enough to rid him of his bone-weary fatigue.

Ed was quickly brought out of his examination of himself by a slight knock on the bathroom door. Not too soon did Havoc's voice sound off from the other side. "Ed? I've finished with our friend in the living room. You ready to come out so I can take a look at you too?"

The blonde said coolly, kneeling down to open and search his bag for his extra set of clothes he always packed before a mission. "Just a sec."

"Yeah, alright. Just don't drown in the tub." The older man grumbled lazily as he shuffled away with his usual slothful gait.

"Shut up!" Ed snapped through the door, more likely making the older man jump at the sudden response before muttering to himself. "Jerk"

After a moment or two of drying off and getting dressed, Ed soon emerged from the bathroom fully clothed in clean attire. Sporting a rather loose pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the blonde teen entered the living room with an extra towel on his head to compensate for still damp hair. He saw that Roy was still lying unconscious on the futon, but Havoc had sat himself down in one of the chairs just opposite the futon with the bored expression still on his face.

Rising to face the blonde teen, Havoc wasted no time to change from bored to concerned seriousness. "Okay kid. Where's it hurt?"

Taken a little off guard by the question, Ed couldn't think of much else except answering the older male. "Uh… my back mostly. Other than my shoulders and certain parts of my arms… I'm perfectly fine. Why?"

"Huh. I thought so. Especially how your spine made that popping noise when you left for your shower. Just be glad I don't admit you to a real hospital instead of dealin' with this kind of crap myself." Havoc grumbled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over what to do about the blonde's symptoms.

Ed couldn't help but stiffen at bit at the older man's response. "Are you trying to get a broken nose?"

"What? Oh. Oh! Sorry Ed. I was just--!" Havoc stammered nervously, knowing he'd made a mistake and it was a little too late to take it back.

"Just do what you need to do." Ed growled as he turned away from Havoc, trying to distract himself from what was just said to him by trying to dry his hair with the towel hiding the golden locks from view. "And I do know what you meant."

"Right." Knowing better than to press further, Havoc wisely chose not to take the conversation any further than that. "Sorry."

Silently obeying Havoc's silent commands, Ed sat down in the vacant chair and endured the touch of the other man's hands. Traveling across his shoulders and their blades hidden under flesh, skin and cloth before traveling down his spine almost like a snail on a hot summer day, Havoc made his examination of Ed's back a quick one. He'd already made the mistake of mentioning the word 'hospital'. And all who knew Ed like Havoc did knew that saying such a word around the young blonde was kind of a really bad idea. Especially if one knew the consequences that Ed would unleash.

When about ten minutes went by, Havoc finally dared to speak again. "Well, it looks like you didn't get as banged up as the last couple of times. You've got to be gettin' pretty good at this job."

Ed merely grunted, almost as if skeptical of the remark. "Yeah, well. I told you that idiot over there decided to lend a hand."

"No. I'd say he was pretty brave. For a guy whose life is about to be turned upside down." Havoc grumbled, leaving Ed's turned back to kneel beside the coffee table to recollect his things into his bag, glancing at the blonde as he did so. "Let's just hope he doesn't try anything else truly heroic."

The blonde teen nodded, forcing his tired body to stand up again. "I second that. You headin' out?"

"Yeah. Hawkeye wanted me to stop by to give her an update on you."

Watching the older man as he completed his task, calmly strapping the bag strap to one of his shoulders in thoughtful silence, Ed could only give Havoc a rather surprised look of annoyance. "Seriously? Is that woman ever going to get me off her radar?"

Havoc merely shrugged at the question, smirking in mild amusement. "I doubt it. But you know Riza. She just has to be so motherly."

"Motherly? Dude! She's about as motherly as an A-bomb!" Ed snapped.

But Havoc merely rolled his eyes, turning away to head down the hall and towards the front door with the same laid back gait as before. "Tell her that and she'll have our asses in a sling until next year."

"See?" the blonde exclaimed, following the older man to the front door.

Pausing to turn more than halfway to the door to face the teen, Havoc looked him right in the eye. "Either way! You and our new friend back there need to rest up for the next few days. I'll inform the others and see if we can't set up some training programs for him. The faster he's up to speed the better."

"If he accepts."

Havoc simply grunted. "Let's hope he does. Our numbers are a little on the sho—I mean on the small side."

Ed pretended not to notice the quick change of words, knowing that now wasn't a good time to be angry. "Right. But you just as well as I do we've always been low on members."

"Yeah I know but… this guy just might be able to change that for us. We just might actually get the upper hand."

The blonde teen wasted no time in looking sternly at the older man. "Let's not rush it. The last thing we want is for him to get spooked and run."

Another grunt, the smirk returning only now with skepticism. "I doubt that. He has a life here. He has structure, normality."

Ed just shook his head. "Not anymore. That demon last night ruined it for him. Hell, my showing up to help probably made things even more confusing."

"Ha. Been there, done that, probably had a worse hangover than him." the smirk nearly vanished, replaced by a poorly constructed front to hide the older man's concern for the blonde teen as he spoke again. "Take care alright?"

The blonde didn't hesitate to put a fake smirk of his own on, nodding at him in the hopes of reassuring the man before he left. "Yeah. See ya."

With one last lazy sway of the arm, Havoc was out the door and into the early morning sunlight, leaving Ed to himself and a sleeping cop whose life had been literally turned upside down. Letting out a tired sigh before finally letting gravity kick in, the teenage blonde let himself fall backwards into the armchair. Undeniably tired and uncaring of how uncomfortable his position was, Ed didn't waste any time falling back to sleep after what'd felt like an eternity.

Done and done! Sorry for the delay everyone, but you know how it is. Brainstorming's killer when school's in full swing at the same time. Talk about bad timing!! But there's no time for such nonsense. I'll just get right to the preview for what's to come here on '_Fallen Angel's Fire_'!!

Next chapter:

Chapter 3: Regrouping For Another Round

Roy's out and down for the count, and Ed's in need of some serious hours of sleep to pick up the pieces again. But what other people might be involved in what caused the creature to attack Roy? Can Ed and his mystery friends ever clear things up for their future hopeful? Will Roy try to shoot Ed again when he wakes up again? Or will things go a little smoother in the morning? Find out in the next all new installment for '_Fallen Angel's Fire_' with:

_**Chapter 3: Regrouping For Another Round!!**_


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